2005 Relic Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Candied red and black berries on the nose, with a floral topnote. Intense berry and spice flavors turn sweeter on the back, offering a flavor of hard candy. Very firm and youthful wine that calls for a bit of patience. From a cool year and a cool site: these vines were harvested into November.
Critic scores
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(15.3% alcohol) Good full medium ruby. Musky aromas of blackberry, black raspberry, smoked meat and chocolate. Juicy and wild, with a slight coolness to the soil-driven flavors of black licorice, pepper and minerals. Not a fruity style: this is from new French clones from the Northern Rhone, notes Hirby. Finishes with a restrained sweetness and dusty tannins that avoid dryness. This wine was racked only for the bottling. A bit youthfully clenched now, but then, says Hirby, "it's made to blossom in the bottle."